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Sunday, March 18, 2018

International Art & Soul, a challenge which has been put together to incorporate any type of craft, paper, wood, flowers, recycling, glass - the world is your oyster :). Come on over an join us with you artwork :)

Challenge #29Add Humor to your Card/Creation

This fortnights challenge them has been chosen by DT Jeanette and I have to admit I cringed when I saw the theme, humour is not really my strong point. Where to start, what to do, decisions, decisions, decisions. I did make a card first with a toilet on it but then I remembered I had this fab image from Bugaboo 'Stella Glue Stick' which I bought to create a page with for a journal I am creating for my daughter. She has a tendency to speak before she thinks at times hahaha so I am sure when in the distant future she is given this journal she will have a good laugh when she sees this page.

I superimposed the Bugaboo image and sentiment onto the background using Photoshop and printed. I then used Polychromos to colour the image and paper pieced the shoes and clothes. The background was then coloured with Pan Pastels and as it was a bit bland I used a Sheena Douglas stencil from Crafter's Companion and Tim Holtz Distress Ink to add a bit more decoration.

Tuesday, March 6, 2018

Welcome back to the IKEsWORLD challenges :) do pop on over to IKEsWORLD to join in the challenge, it is always so much fun and Ike produces the most amazing stamps, everything from off the wall to cute and fluffy :) :) :)

Another canvass from me for this fortnights challenge. Sometimes when I see the optional theme for the challenge my heart sinks, I know I don't have to follow the theme but this is always my starting point. I am not a film lover more often falling asleep before the film finishes, I have no idea who acts in what and honestly don't care as I see their character not the fact they are playing a character. Last time we had this theme a few years ago I think I made a popcorn box and decorated it to look something like it was representing the film 'Avitar', that then went in the bin after it was made and photographed and I find that so hard to cope with, knowing before I start that I will be putting it in the bin. So, it was with trepidation I began this project on my 'canvass' journey. I love how this one has turned out and it won't be going in the bin lol.

To begin with I used gesso on the canvas and then texture paste with a Sheena Douglas stencil. You can't really see the texture in the photo but you can in real life. The canvas was painted with metallic copper acrylic paint and left to dry while I printed the image on 120 gms paper and coloured lightly with Polychromos pencils. The coloured image was then fussy cut and applied to the canvass with strong adhesive spray. The film strips were cut with my die cutter and I then rubber stamped randomly onto plastic and created negatives which were placed these behind the die cuts. These were then glued to the canvass. The saying, 'I'm gonna make him an offer he can't refuse', is from the film The Godfather, a bit inappropriate at the moment with all that has been in the news recently. I don't mean to offend but I do like to raise a point that leads to conversation :) :) :)

Sunday, March 4, 2018

International Art & Soul, a challenge which has been put together to incorporate any type of craft, paper, wood, flowers, recycling, glass - the world is your oyster :). Come on over an join us with you artwork :)

Challenge #28Emboss and use a Die

This fortnights challenge them has been chosen by DT Debbie, a lovely theme with so many possibilities. A wee while ago I introduced my grandson to Distress Oxides and we made several backing papers each to put in our stash (he is only 8 so his stash is not very big at the moment hahaha). Anyway, I decided to use one of my distress oxide backgrounds for this card. Sometime ago I purchased the Sheena Douglas Perfect Partners Embossing Folder - LUSCIOUS LOOSESTRIFE and die in the sale and have never used them. This card seemed perfect to bring them out of the packets :). I seem to always be in need of sympathy cards and really don't like making them at the time they are needed so with the soft colours of the distress oxides on the backing I decided this would be suitable for a contemporary sympathy card. I embossed the background and rubbed over the embossed area first with mauve and then gold. The card is a bit symbolic so excuse me if you think I am off my trolly here lol. With the embossing folder having several loosestrife flowers this symbolised to me the passing of family members from earlier days and with this in mind I only used one of the die cut/embossed loosestrife to represent the passing over of the new spirit and the joining of this new spirit with the early passing of friends and family who are on the other side and waiting to welcome them.

I stamped a border in the same purple that I had rubbed over the embossed area and also stamped the sentiment in the same colour.

Close up showing the purple and gold rubbing used on the embossed area.

Saturday, March 3, 2018

Just a very quick post from me today while I am enjoying being snowed in and given extra crafting time hahahaha.

Aurora Wings has a fun challenge on the go this month and I just had to participate so here is my entry. The challenge theme is Bingo and I have followed the left hand column - Purple, Green, Black and doubled that up with the themes of this column too - Lace or Doily, Flowers, Ribbon or Bow.

For my card I used the gorgeous image of a wee boy fairy sitting amongst the leaves and gazing into the distance - Forgotten Summer which I thought was rather appropriate as with all this snow Summer certainly feels forgotten.

I printed the image on black card and then used silver foil to foil it making the lines more visible for colouring. The image was coloured with Polychromes and the berries (which don't show well here) are purple Stickles. I then used Pan Pastels in 3 shades of purple to try and create moon (or black sun lol) rays and finished off with a quick blast of Crafter's Companion Silver glitter varnish. The doily was is a section of a die cut to which I added sequin flowers, green pearls and silver stamped sentiment which seemed perfect to go with the digi. I finished of with a purple bow then matted the top layers onto green then purple paper before attaching to a black card blank. Such a fun card to do and a first for me to try colouring on black. Hope you like it.

Sunday, February 18, 2018

International Art & Soul, a challenge which has been put together to incorporate any type of craft, paper, wood, flowers, recycling, glass - the world is your oyster :). Come on over an join us with you artwork :)

Challenge #27Use Stuff You Already Own

This fortnights challenge them has been chosen by Chriss, a cracking good theme that sure made me hunt through all my supplies and digital stamps. This 30cmx30cm canvas has been made as a thank you pressie to the lovely lady we are getting our kittens from tomorrow. At the time of writing this blog post tomorrow is January 27th hahaha and yep, I am one super excited soon to be a fur baby mummy again. I lost my beautiful cat Boss 11 years ago, just as I was moving to Saudi to join my hubby, all plans to bring him over were throw out the window when he got outside through an opened window and ran into the road, I am sure you can guess the rest of the story so I say no more. Hubby and I decided on no more house pets while we were overseas and so it is just now that we are retired and back in the UK we can have fur babies again. We are getting 2 Russian Blue kittens, a boy who we are calling Jeeves and a girl who we are calling Bree. This time tomorrow we will be in the car heading off to collect them :) :) :) :).

OK so now you know the background of the canvas the next thing is to mention what I did. I used a Sheena Douglas stencil and green acrylic paint for the background. The image of the two cats is 'Swirly Whirlie Cats' by Little Claire, a digi I won many moons ago in a challenge and was perfect I was hoping to print out over three A4 pages and then colour with acrylic paint. The printing was so large so I could cut the image in acceptable place and have the full height of around 28cm. The next bit was to cut the sections out and then paint each as required As the acrylic paint covered some of the black lines I then when over all of them with my faithful black Promarker. I then glued my three sections together to remake the full image and used a strong spray adhesive to stick the images to the canvas. Next was to add the gems to the cats and sit back and admire lol. I designed my text and cut with my Silver Bullet, these letters were then painted in the same mauve I had used for the cats and then sponged with black acrylic paint and finally gold gilding to match what I had just added to the border of the picture. The letters shone beautifully when the light caught them but otherwise the text pretty much vanished into the background to to get around that issue I outlined each in black. The quote 'One cat just leads to another' is by Earnest Hemmingway and so appropriate for the lady we are getting out kittens from :) :) :). To protect the canvas I gave it a few blast with acrylic sealer and there we are, all done. Nothing new bought for this challenge and so much fun getting out all my old supplies again, thanks Chriss for a fab challenge theme.

As this post was created before we got the wee fur babies I can now let you know we have had them for a couple of weeks and they are settling in wonderfully, so full of fun and bringing us so many smiles and laughs every day. Jeeves is on the left and Bree on the right :) :) :)

Tuesday, February 6, 2018

Welcome back to the IKEsWORLD challenges :) do pop on over to IKEsWORLD to join in the challenge, it is always so much fun and Ike produces the most amazing stamps, everything from off the wall to cute and fluffy :) :) :)

I am giving cards a rest for a while and going to play around with canvasses so you are on a bit of a journey with me experimenting with different mediums and seeing how they work. On this canvass I used the image 'Look of Love' a stunning image and one that gives me a chance to practice painting eyes with acrylic paint (I am happiest with watercolour and only really used acrylics to paint block cover on boxes in the past).

For this 20cm x 20 cm canvass I first started printing the image on 120 gms paper which I hope, with the help of gesso will take the tints and paints I want to use. Next I glued the image onto the canvass and used gesso over the whole lot. Fingers crossed as now I am committed :) :) :). Once dry I then added texture paste and let that dry. Die cutting was next on the agenda, the words are Tim Holts dies and the hearts from another company. The words were cut twice and mounted together to give more height and then all the die cuts were glued to the surface. Now more waiting time for the glue to dry, I am not very patient when I get an urge and this waiting is a killer, maybe I need to try to have more than one project on the go at once but there again I can see the confused brain I would end up with. Oh well, maybe I will just have to drink more coffee. Once dry, I then used Spectrum Noir mauve tint and brushed this all over the canvass, I was trying to get the tint to seep into nooks and crannies and use the different ways the textures absorbed the tint to do most of the work for me. I then moved onto the eyes and painted these with acrylic paint. It was then out with the Distress Oxides to see how these worked on the gesso, would they still react as they do on paper and now I know they don't so probably won't be using them in this way again. To finish off I used some bronze and gold gilding paste and then added a bronze metal heart. To be honest, I am not sure about this canvass, I had so much fun doing it but when I step back and look it is not one that appeals to me, right out of my comfort zone in the final appearance, certainly not my usual thing but maybe it will grow on me :) :) :)

Sunday, February 4, 2018

International Art & Soul, a challenge which has been put together to incorporate any type of craft, paper, wood, flowers, recycling, glass - the world is your oyster :). Come on over an join us with you artwork :)

Challenge #26TEXTURE

This fortnights theme has been chosen by Hazel :). I love the theme of this challenge but it seems my crafting mojo has gone on vacation grrrrrrr. I spent 2 days making a card for this challenge, a struggle and a half and although the end result was OK I was not a very happy bunny. Time to try something totally different. I have wanted to have a go at mixed media on canvass for a long time but have not got round to it until now, yes, it seemed the perfect time to try to inspire myself. My daughter loves owls and it is her birthday in a few days so this 30cm x 30cm canvass is for her to hang in her bedroom. Now I have to cross all my fingers and toes and hope she likes it.

I used Gesso on the canvas first as it was just a cheapie and I was not sure if it had been primed or not. Next was the texture paste and a stencil by Sheena Douglas available from Crafters Companion. When all that was dry I attacked the canvas with acrylic paint, a mixture of turquoise and pearl white. I then die cut the text twice onto thick card and stuck the letters together, these were then added to the canvas. Next was the owl, again die cut and I embossed the components, after all this is a texture challenge. Lace was added to the wings to give the impression of a second layer of feathers. I used shells for the claws and some small flower beads above the beak. Pretty chuffed with the way he turned out or maybe it is a she as there is a fair bit of pink going on there hahaha. Feather metal charms, small metal dimensional bead holders along with three metal double hearts, two chipboard hearts and a chipboard owl were also added. To finish off I added some flower soft and then painted over all these components with left over bits of paint I had and my finger lol.